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cupidhaos · 3 years

Text

garden of dreams | jww

pairing: jeon wonwoo x gender neutral reader

word count: 2.2k

genre: fluff, dreams, slight angst

summary: he would always be there, waiting for you in the garden of dreams

warnings: slight swearing, SLIGHT angst like its so tiny you can barely see it

song rec: day & night | jung seunghwan

a/n: THIS IS SO LATE IM SO SORRY!! leave it up to sak to post at the very last minute :| but this is for the lovely @hongnanglen-arina ! <3 i hope that you enjoy this even though it’s late >< i wrote this after watching the garden of words which i recommend to everyone btw it has beautiful animation and is so pretty and pretty short for a movie anyways let me stop rambling here you go!!

prompt: “i dreamt about you last night”

he was just a stranger passing by you on the street. both of you were heading in the opposite directions - yet as your eyes connected for a brief moment, you felt the feeling of longing settling inside of you.

his eyes felt familiar to you - as if you saw him from somewhere before. as you walked throughout the city as your paths had crossed this stranger, you couldn’t help but stop in your tracks as you passed each other.

“y/n? are you in there?” your friend walking beside you asked. you shake your head out of the trance you were in a gave them a tight smile “yeah sorry, you were saying?”

later that night as you lay in bed - you couldn’t help but think of the eyes of the stranger that you passed by earlier. although there was barely an encounter and it was in total just a couple of seconds of eye contact - you were unable to get them out of your mind.

“what did they look like again?” you try to recall as you think back to their face. as you recalled the brief encounter, you think back to what his eyes looked like as they were the only thing you remembered.

rubbing your hands over your face out of frustration, you let out a loud groan. you continued to toss and turn in your bed as the thought of this man just wouldn’t leave your mind.

“this is so irritating! why am i thinking of some stranger i made eye contact with for probably a total of what - five seconds?!” say to no one. flipping over to lay on your side, you read the numbers blinking on your alarm clock.

“shit… it’s already one …” you mumble underneath your breath.

flipping back onto your back, you drape your arm over your eyes as the moonlight shone through your window.

“maybe i can just sleep it off…” you say aloud as you let out a yawn. you felt your eyes get heavier by the second before finally drifting off to sleep.

your eyebrows furrow together in confusion as you looked around at the unknown area. trees surrounded you along with an assortment of plants and flowers. as you looked forward, your eyes are drifted towards the pathway underneath your feet which was covered in moss and grass.

“i swore i was just in my bed”

unable to make sense of the situation, you don’t even notice that your feet began to move on their own. as you continue being deep in thought, you unconsciously follow the path that was laid out in front of you.

it wasn’t until you noticed that there weren’t as many trees around that you finally looked up, now standing by an empty lake. you then realized that you were most likely in a garden somewhere - but where? and why?

“am i dreaming right now… is this a lucid dream or something… why does it feel like i’m actually in a garden though…” you wonder aloud as you continued to walk throughout the quiet garden. “might as well enjoy the scenery” right as the words left your mouth though, you felt a raindrop gently fall on your head.

soon enough, rain started pouring down from the skies as if the clouds had been holding it in for years. covering your head with your hands as you run through the garden, you tried to look for a place where you’d be able to take shelter. spotting a roofed pergola in the distance, you quickly make your way over.

“of course it starts raining when i actually want to take a walk around this place” an annoyed huff leaving your lips following your comment. squeezing your shirt to get the water out of it in order to relieve the heavy weight it brought on your clothes, you didn’t take notice of the footsteps approaching the small pergola you were under.

“it’s raining pretty bad - don’t you think?” an unknown voice comments with a laugh amidst the loud patter of the heavy rain. a jolt ran through your body as the sound of a deep voice surprised your ears. your eyes widen as you turn your head towards the owner of the voice.

you were shocked to see a boy around his early twenties, standing at a distance from you. round glasses that were now covered in rain droplets, sat on his nose as he stood wearing casual clothes and a thick jacket. a book bag was draped across his chest and you watched as he squinted up at the grey sky.

you felt your breath hitch as he turns to look at you, a small smile on his face. as his eyes locked with yours - you felt that familiar feeling that you had earlier today. he raises an eyebrow as you continue to stare at him in confusion “don’t tell me - you forgot again, didn’t you?”

as you continued to stare at him with that confused look on your face, he lets out sigh of defeat as his shoulders slumped down “i’m not surprised - it has been a while since our dreams intertwined like this.”

tilting your head to the side, he just laughs at your expression much to your dismay “guess i’ll reintroduce myself then - i’m wonwoo” he extends his hand out towards you which you hesitantly take. nodding your head slowly, you still were unable to grasp the situation at hand.

“nice to meet you wonwoo… i’m -”

“y/n. i know.”

a gasp leaves your lips as he finishes your sentence “wait! how did you know my name? do you know where we are? how did we get here? what do you mean intertwining dreams?”

wonwoo holds up his free hand as a signal for you to slow down which automatically causes you to halt your flood of questions. puling his hand away from yours, you couldn’t help but miss the warmth that contact gave you.

“let’s just say - this isn’t really our first time meeting.” wonwoo tells you, but that still didn’t help answer any of your questions.

“have we met before?” you ask quietly, to which he nods his head. placing his hands in the pockets of his jacket, he turns back towards the rain “many times actually. but it seems like you keep forgetting we do each time.”

as you try to make sense of his words, you didn’t even notice you were shivering. wonwoo takes notice of this from the corner of his eye though, and lets out a sigh. you don’t realize he’s taking off his jacket until you felt its weight against your shoulders.

the action snaps you out of the thought you were having as you looked up at him with wide eyes. he averts his gaze from yours though as he continued to wrap the jacket around your shoulders “listen, i know this is just a dream and whatever - but i can’t just watch you stand there shivering like a lost puppy”

you felt your cheeks heat up slightly and you quickly turn to look towards the ground. you perk up though once you take in his comment “wait! so this is a dream?”

he hums in confirmation in response to your question “mhm, everything here is a dream.”

“wait so if this is my dream - why are you here?”

“ouch, you trying to kick me out?”

“sorry! i didn’t mean it like that i just -”

wonwoo cuts you off with a laugh and you continued to stare up at him filled with wonder and curiosity.

“i’ll sum it up like i do each time we meet again. our dreams somehow intertwine with each others from time to time and we end up being in the other’s dreams. they always seem to take place in this garden also. but for some reason, you keep on forgetting these dreams we have together, meaning -”

“i keep forgetting that we’ve met?” you finish, to which wonwoo nods. a pout forms on your lips at this realization “what the hell! that sucks why do i keep forgetting you?!”

wonwoo shrugs at your question though “beats me. seems like you’re the type of person to forget their dreams immediately when they wake up.”

your eyebrows furrow together as another question leaves your lips “then why is it you always remember me?”

his features soften at your question and a small smile spreads across his face “that’s because i could never forget you, no matter how hard i’d try”

a blush spreads across your cheeks at the comment, and you feel yourself fill with embarrassment. you hear a light chuckle come from him as he watches your reaction “don’t just say stuff like that to someone you just met!”

“i wouldn’t typically say that to a stranger - but then again, this isn’t our first time meeting, remember?”

for what felt like the next couple hours, the two of you talked and got to know each other all over again. you felt at ease with him around, and you never once felt uncomfortable with his presence.

“why do you think our dreams keep connecting back here?” you suddenly asked him. he was unable to answer your question though.

“i’m not sure actually. it sure does look like a park around where i live though.” he tells you as you nod slowly. as you think over all the different possibilities, you suddenly raise up a finger as the sound of ‘aha!’ escapes your lips.

“i know! maybe it’s a sign that we’re meant to be!” as soon as you say that, wonwoo’s face turns bright red. he covers his face quickly with his hands as you continued to look at him excitedly “who’s the one saying corny stuff now”

you wave him off though as you continue on with what you were saying “maybe - just maybe if we go to this park when we’re awake then we’ll finally meet in person and not just in this dream garden!”

he gives you a soft smile at your suggestion, and you hear the rain slowly quiet down. “that sure does sound ideal - but don’t you remember? you always forget these dreams”

shaking your head at his response, you look up at him with a determined look on your face - not realizing that the garden around you two was now slowly fading away.

“i won’t forget you this time, i promise! and if i do - i’ll still find a way for us to meet!” were the last words you told him before things finally faded away.

rubbing your eyes as you wake up, you held your head in your hands as you hazily tried to recall your dream.

“wait… what was i dreaming about again?” you mumble groggily as you tried to remember. getting up for the day, you felt agitated at the fact that you were unable to recall the dream you had from the night before.

“i feel as if i’m forgetting something important…” you tell yourself as you got ready for your plans for the day. your friend had asked you to come check out a new cafe that was a whiles away from where you lived.

for the rest of the morning, you did your best to get an idea as to what you were forgetting. yet no matter how much you tried - nothing came to mind.

once you got down to the place you two planned to meet up at, your friend informed you that they were going to take a while.

“way to tell me once i got here” you huff. though the feeling of irritation soon left once you spot something in the distance. as your eyes wandered toward the park not too far off from where you were at, your feet began moving on their own, and that feeling of familiarity washed over you once again.

as you finally got to the park, you took in the scenery and looked at the plants growing. the feeling of deja vu hits you as you walked past a large, blue lake.

“i swear i haven’t been here before… so why does it feel as if…”

your train of thought is cut off once you felt a drop of rain land on you, more quickly falling down from the sky. running towards the closest place to take shelter, you stared up at the dark clouds up above. running footsteps make your way towards you, causing you to turn your head at the young man who stood besides you.

“it’s raining pretty bad - don’t you think?” he asks with a laugh, the rain nearly drowning out his voice as it continued to pour down harshly. once he turns his head to look at you, your eyes finally meet, and everything that you were trying so hard to remember suddenly came flooding back to you.

the smile on his face is quickly replaced with a shocked look as he realizes who you were. as the rain begins to calm down, the two of you continued to stare at each other with mirrored expressions.

a gasp leaves your lips and you raised your hand to point a finger towards him in surprise.

“i dreamt about you last night!”

wonwoo’s eyes widened at your loud revelation and a small laugh leaves your lips as you saw his expression. you coughed loudly as you extend your hand out towards him. a smile spreading across your lips once he takes it.

“guess i’ll reintroduce myself then - i’m y/n”

he shakes his head with a laugh at your introduction.

“nice to meet you y/n... i’m -”

“wonwoo. i know.”

m.list

#caratwritersclub #cwcvg2021 #kdiarynet #kwritersworldnet #seventeen scenarios #seventeen oneshot #seventeen fics #seventeen imagines #seventeen x reader #svt x reader #jeon wonwoo #wonwoo x reader

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indigowallbreaker · 3 years

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Tiny hands in big hands for dima/ashe/dedue?

(second of the two ot3 prompts I half begged for a few days back. thanks for this!)

Ashe held the child on his hip. “See her?” He asked Dedue.

“Not yet.” Dedue was as calm and collected as always. The same could not be said for the little girl, whose lip began to quiver.

“Hey now, none of that, Arina,” Ashe soothed. “We’ll find your mama.”

Confident as Ashe sounded, they had been looking for her mother for around 20 minutes now. What had begun as a simple outing in the recently liberated Derdriu had quickly become a search mission. Dimitri had gone to look around the market himself while Dedue and Ashe stayed in the place Arina had found them. Hopefully Arina’s mother would return to the last place she had seen her daughter.

Arina sniffed. “Are you hungry?” Ashe asked brightly. “Sometimes a little food goes a long way. And it’s well past lunch.” When she nodded, Ashe looked up at Dedue. “Can you hold her while I get us something to eat? I’ll grab you something too.”

An expression took Dedue’s face that Ashe couldn’t discern for a moment. Dedue hesitated; and it dawned on Ashe that Dedue was nervous. He couldn’t recall seeing Dedue nervous about anything. For a second, Ashe thought Dedue was going to refuse-- but then he held out his arms and Arina latched on to him. Dedue chuckled and took one of her hands, swaying minutely in place. Arina seemed to relax instantly. She rested her cheek against his chest and stopped sniffling.

Ashe smiled at the sight. Seeing someone as big as Dedue holding a four year old was just adorable. “I’ll be right back,” Ashe said, reluctantly turning to leave.

“Wait--” He stopped at Dedue’s voice. Dedue was looking off into the sea of people. “I think--”

“ARINA!”

A woman came running toward them, looking just as Arina had described. Behind her was Dimitri. He grinned when he saw Ashe. Relief took Ashe at the sight of them, but it was likely nothing compared to how Arina’s mother felt. She ran right up to Dedue, cupping Arina’s face and turning her this way and that. Dedue tensed. “Arina, are you alright?! I’m so sorry! I thought you were holding onto my skirt! I didn’t realize--”

Arina practically jumped into her mother’s arms. “She took my hand instead of yours at that produce stall,” Ashe explained as Arina’s mother held her tight. “It’s no one’s fault.”

“She was very brave,” Dedue added.

“Thank you.” Arina’s mother was smiling even as tears gathered in her eyes. “Thank you all. I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“Think nothing of it,” Dimitri said with a shake of his head. “We’re just glad things worked out.”

With more thank yous from Arina and her mother, the pair left. Once they were out of sight, Ashe turned to Dedue. “I thought you liked children?”

“I do. I was... I was worried that her mother would not want to see Arina with a man of Duscur.” Dedue frowned. “The people of the Alliance do not have the same reservations about Duscur as those from Faerghus, but the anxiety lingers.”

Dimitri heaved a sigh. “That is, unfortunately, quite reasonable. For what it’s worth, you looked quite natural holding her.”

“I agree!” Ashe pipped up. “Have you thought about family at all, Dedue? How many children would you like to have?”

Dedue flushed-- another new expression for Ashe. “I-I have not thought about it much, no.”

“It’s hard to consider such things in war,” Dimitri said with an understanding nod that became a teasing smile. “But I think a slew of children would do you good, Dedue.”

Both Ashe and Dimitri held in laughter as Dedue grew more flustered. It wasn’t often they were able to rile him up so much.

Though it was mostly said in jest, Ashe caught himself wondering all day about the future. Every child that ran past them, every baby that cried two stalls over-- it made Ashe think of Arina on his hip. Except it wasn’t Arina; it was a child with tan skin and wide blue eyes, grey hair and freckles, perhaps wrapped in a familiar blue scarf...

“Ashe?”

Hands closed around his. Ashe blinked back to himself to find Dedue and Dimitri had grasped his hands with twin looks of concern. “Sorry!” Ashe flashed a smile and let them pull him along. “Just... lost in thought.”

(send me a ship or platonic pair and a type of hand hold!)

#ashe ubert #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #dedue molinaro #dimiashedue #fire emblem three houses #yall have to know in my notes for this prompt i literal just wrote 'a child' and left it for two days #that is the mysterious writing process #dimidue #arina after a fashion means 'peace' yes all my names mean something #hand prompts #fe3h

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thatsonemorbidcorvid · 3 years

Text

Arina and Nina used to only meet once a week - at activities organised for the care home where Nina lived. Now, Arina is applying to become Nina's guardian, giving the 27-year-old hope she might finally be able to leave the institution where she has lived her entire adult life.

For the past few months Nina Torgashova has been able to enjoy an independence that had always been out of reach for her - shopping, cooking and washing her own clothes.

Things that would be every-day life experiences for most 27-year-olds.

But not for Nina, who has always lived in institutions, and moved when she was 18 to what, in Russia, is called a psycho-neurological care home. When the pandemic hit, she was able to savour life outside the home, with a volunteer, Arina Muratova.

Nina recalls the moment she found out she was leaving.

"I never thought anyone would take me. I had thought: "Oh no, I am going to be stuck in the care home."

It was April 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic forced Moscow into lockdown. As visits to Nina's institution were stopped, charities lobbied for volunteers to be allowed to take responsibility for some of the residents until they could start up again.

Arina, a market research expert who loves nail art and embroidery, offered to look after Nina.

But when the 27-year-old got a taste for the freedom she'd never had, she decided she didn't want to go back.

Her 31-year-old friend was faced with a life-changing decision.

Arina has been involved in voluntary work for a decade - starting with helping children with learning difficulties and their families. She then became involved in adult care, which is when she met Nina through a Russian charity called Life Route. The charity organises trips and classes for the residents of some Russian psycho-neurological care homes (known as PNIs).

Arina started volunteering in PNI 22 - where Nina was living with hundreds of other residents - about four years ago. The care home looks after adults with a wide range of disorders, thought to relate to both cognitive disabilities and mental illness of varying severity.

Arina and Nina got to know each other through the charity Life Route which organises camps for the care home residents

Nina's diagnosis remains confidential to everyone except her care home director. This is usually the case for those residents the state judges are unable to live independently. So neither she nor Arina know why she is in the home, but Arina is surprised that she is.

Although Nina struggles with literacy and maths, Arina says she is very capable.

"She is such a quick learner and is well-adapted in everyday living," she says.

Nina was admitted to a home for disabled children when she was very young, before transferring to the PNI at 18. It is not clear whether she was taken to the children's home by her parents or was forcibly removed from their care.

She says they visited her there once, but she was frightened and hid under the bed.

"They were drunks. I was afraid. They stank of alcohol," she says.

Arina says Nina always stood out during her visits with Life Route, taking an active role in the activities and trips organised by the charity

"Nina was a very active person at her care home," says Arina. "She took part in various creative activities: amateur dramatics, arts and crafts workshops. She took part in sporting competitions, too: she played darts, she played football. Football was something she really missed after leaving the home."

When the lockdown last spring made these visits impossible, Arina suggested Zoom calls with the residents instead. But from the start is was clear this wasn't going to work - the home's internet simply wasn't strong enough. Other charities helping other care homes in Moscow and St Petersburg were facing similar problem

So these charities pressured the authorities to allow some care home residents to be released for the lockdown.

"It was all arranged in a day, and the next day the person was out. I cannot imagine anything like this before the pandemic," says Life Route's director Ivan Rozhansky.

Nevertheless Arina admits she was nervous when she made the initial decision to look after Nina. She was counting on Nina's relative independence, given she needed to work from home.

"There was a certain calculation in taking Nina. I had a lot of work to do, even during the lockdown. I realised I had to live with someone who'd be able to occupy themselves - at least some the time. With Nina it was clear that I'd be able to say: 'Now I have to work for three hours but afterwards we can make lunch together!'"

But Nina's move into the flat the charity had given the pair to live in during lockdown did get off to a slightly rocky start.

"She had very few possessions with her, just a small rucksack. She looked lost. While I was signing papers brought by the care worker, she walked around the flat. She didn't look especially overjoyed, and I had been counting on that.

"When I saw Nina looking so lost, I wondered if this had been a good idea. It's one thing to ask a person in a text if they want to move, but it's quite different to actually move them."

But not long afterwards, Arina shared a selfie with the other volunteers of herself with a grinning Nina, arms raised in joy.

Not only did Nina start shopping for food and cooking for herself, Arina arranged for her to have a maths tutor - important now she was buying things on her own.

"It's not that Nina doesn't understand things. She just never needed maths before," Arina says.

Arina herself began helping Nina with her literacy - she could read and write, but slowly and with difficulty.

"I need to be able to read and write," says Nina. "To be able to cook for myself, to go to work. I do want to have a job.

"I could make and sell friendship bracelets. I asked Arina: 'Do you know anyone who might want one?' She asked her mum, her mum was quite keen. I said: 'I will sort this!' Her mum picked the colours, Arina showed me a photo [of the colours], and I started making it."

Arina says she wanted to make sure she gave Nina responsibility for herself, rather than always taking charge, even if this did not always go to plan.

She cites the example of Nina wanting to learn to draw. Arina found another volunteer who could teach her over Zoom, and explained to Nina that she should make sure she joined the lessons. But after a while she discovered Nina had been missing some sessions.

"I don't want to chase another grown-up and pester them," says Arina. "I felt this was the kind of responsibility Nina could sustain, and we had conflicts around it."

But on another occasion Arina wanted to be more involved in Nina's life than regulations allowed.

Nina had complained of a terrible stomach ache and was admitted to hospital for several days of tests. Arina was not allowed to stay with her because she was not a relative or guardian.

"Pleas, send Nina some reassuring messages," she texted to the volunteer group chat. "Poor thing's terrified, she is having a third blood test and is scared."

Thankfully there was nothing seriously wrong.

As the Moscow lockdown eased in June, the Life Route charity was faced with a challenge.

"It became obvious that those people our foundation took to the assisted living flats for the duration of the quarantine did not want to go back to the PNI," says Ivan Rozhansky, the charity's director.

These institutions have been a focus of concern for some time.

In early 2019, Russia's deputy prime minister Tatiana Golikova ordered an inspection of living conditions in 192 psycho-neurological care homes. A consumer watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, discovered violations of health and safety and other regulations in around 80% of them.

In January of this year Russia's Ministry of Labour introduced a number of structural changes to the provision of care for those in PNIs, including a move to help social workers provide assistance for some people in private homes rather than in state institutions.

"Obviously, all these changes will not be realised immediately on January 1, 2021, but step-by-step the situation will be changing," Golikova said.

Maria Sisneva from the charity Stop PNI says the quality of life in Russian care homes is poor.

"At a PNI you will have 500-1,000 people living in close quarters, but with very different levels of ability, and different backgrounds, different needs. They live in extremely cramped conditions, at best they'd be two to a small room, often in corridors, in spaces similar to military barracks, isolated from the outside world. They barely have any real social experience."

The director of PNI 22, where Nina was living, is clear about the benefits of care homes, however.

"The main advantage of psycho-neurological homes is security," says Anton Kliuchev. "The residents are looked after by professionals, who know exactly how to help and support them, how to talk to them, how to take care of them."

Care homes for people with specialist needs and mental illness exist all over the world. But from the mid-20th Century in the US and some European countries, a process of deinstitutionalisation started, aimed at replacing long-stay closed facilities with care within the community. Yet, in Russia care homes are still the predominant model.

According to Russian government statistics, as of February 2020 there were more than 150,000 people living in PNIs.

Unlike many countries, Russia's assisted living provision is only in its infancy. National charities believe that if this alternative system were more established, many care home residents could leave their institutions.

"Right now the system in Russia is such that if a person is believed to be insufficiently independent by the state, there is nowhere for them to go apart from a PNI, or [for those with physical disabilities] an invalids' home," says Sisneva.

Life Route began to discuss how the assisted living arrangement could be made permanent for the nine people they rehoused during lockdown. The charity rented four apartments, including one for Nina to share with fellow care home residents Sergey and Ivan. Arina moved back to her own apartment, and began instead to spend one night a week at Nina's new accommodation on rotation with other volunteers.

But there was another hurdle.

The PNI can only release their residents' care permanently to Life Route if those people have what is termed "legal capacity" - in other words, the state considers them able to function independently in theory, even if in practice they are in a care home.

Nina does not have legal capacity - all decisions about her life are made for her by the director of her PNI. As Nina is so functionally able, it is not clear why this is, though experts say it can be simply a foible of the system. If, like Nina, someone has arrived from previous care such as a children's home, and has never been properly assessed, their legal status might never be challenged.

So Arina has applied to become Nina's guardian.

"One day it just sort of clicked. And I realised I had to do it."

If her request is granted, Arina will become responsible for every element of Nina's life - financial, practical, emotional and medical. As her guardian the PNI will finally share Nina's diagnosis with her.

The process won't be straightforward, she says, involving extensive financial, physical and psychological check-ups on Arina.

"Emotionally [the decision] wasn't easy either," says Arina. "But once I took Nina out of the care home, she became my responsibility."

This all-consuming obligation might explain why there are so few people who volunteer to become legal guardians in Russia.

While Arina waits to be granted Nina's guardianship, the PNI could demand that Nina - whose state benefits they are currently losing out on - return to them at any time.

Meanwhile, Arina says she is still working out the exact role she plays in Nina's life.

"I can never be Nina's mum. I will never be able to give her the childhood she deserved."

But she accepts that Nina sees her as much more than a friend. Nina expects her presence on all important errands: to the dentist, to get her ears pierced, to get registered at the local GP.

And these new responsibilities have come at a time when life has been tough for Arina in other ways.

"It wasn't just Nina who went through a big emotional change. I went through a lot emotionally, too - during this time my salary was cut; I have had complicated developments in my personal life."

But Arina says all this has brought them closer together.

"Once you have gone through all these experiences [alongside another person], it is hard to backpedal.

"I won't say I'm not anxious about it. I'm incredibly anxious. And there are certain people around me who freak me out even more. They keep asking me. 'Have you thought it through? It's for life!'

"I calm myself down by saying that we have a plan."

That plan is to work towards eventually restoring Nina's full legal capacity.

Nina needs to be deemed independent by the state if she ever wants to live alone or get a job.

Other than Arina, she has one other close relationship - with a man called Sasha, who she met in PNI 22, and who is now in assisted living in a different apartment. Nina regularly meets up with Sasha in the city, and is clearly fond of him. Arina is aware that Nina may want to eventually marry and she would need legal capacity for that too.

So Arina hopes Nina's tutoring will give her the option to be assessed at some point.

"Examiners look closely at a person's reading, writing and counting abilities," Arina has heard.

The process is not publicly available but anecdotal accounts suggest it can include everything from being expected to dance or sing a song, or even know the price of a loaf of bread.

Arina says they won't apply for Nina to take this test until she is as prepared as she can be.

In the meantime, Arina is involved in all the important moments of Nina's life.

"Maybe I'm just the type of person that is not afraid of responsibility. It is an unexpected - but actually a good thing - that has happened to me.

"I love her. There's not much to it. I love her very much."

My Friend from a Care Home is available to watch now on YouTube.

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numbuh424 · 3 years

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Are we going to see any quality yamasou moments in the next episode? I saw you get excited about the next episode (and Sougo) on twitter, so I thought I'd ask as a fellow yamasou shipper; I'm an anime-only, so I have no idea what's going to happen next, but have been starvingly waiting for any at all yamasou crumbs.. (I don't mind spoilers)

hello anon! I'm glad you asked because this gave me the chance to go through my old i7 game story reaction thread in my priv twt account to reminisce lol do take note that the anime might cut out some parts from the OG story for time's sake so it's not guaranteed that we'll see everything that happened in-game, but hopefully they at least spare us these crumbs 🙏

Sougo confronting Yamato with his own advice (which happened in episode 3) is definitely a major one that I was looking forward to this season. I can't say there's anything major beyond that, but there definitely will be crumbs! In the next episode Sougo will be attempting to convince Yamato (and Mitsuki) to come back to the dorm, so there's that to look forward to.

there's also yamasou crumbs coming later on that involve Yamato teaming up with Mezzo", and a lot of very cute and funny interactions happen there. I'm especially excited for this because Sougo protects Yamato by scaring the attackers in a very classic Sougo manner. However, I have a feeling that part will be in the second cour instead of the first so we'll have to wait a little bit longer for this ;;w;;

side note, my recent tweets where I was getting excited about Sougo were actually about Arina Tanemura's weekly illustrations that she does with every new episode! next week is the 5th episode meaning sougo is getting an illustration and I am very excited for what I know will be another pretty Souchan from her heh~🌱

anyways that's pretty much all I can recall right now. if there's anything else yamasou related coming up that I suddenly remember later on, I'm definitely gonna be rambling excitedly about it on twitter again lol thanks for asking and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story, and every yamasou crumb that comes with it~ 👓🌱

#Idolish7 spoilers #Ainana spoilers #Yamasou #elle is talking #we really are living crumb to crumb in this household huh

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separatist-apologist · 10 months

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Love Is A Lie

Summary: After her mothers death, Arina goes from the well-loved daughter of a nobleman to a servant in his home. She dreams of escaping to the coast and making her own way, and when she learns of a ball the King of Avalon is hosting to pick a wife, Arina sees her chance. With a little help from a fairy godmother, Arina agrees to exchange a favor for one night with the King.

But Eris Vanserra has other plans when they meet, and Arina isn't sure she's ready for the consequences of one night dancing at a ball.

Part Two of OUAT series

Read on AO3 | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Arina was a liar. A fraud. A fool, too, to think any gift came without a price, and a bigger fool still to believe someone asking for an unnamed favor would ask for something harmless. She’d been so desperate that night in the woods, with her torn dress and ruined dreams, that she’d never thought to draw parameters around what her fairy godmother was asking.

And now, on her wedding day, Arina was paying for it.

Standing in her white gown, Arina let herself recall the week before. Eris thought the tea party had ended in disaster, catching her leaving the woods crying. If he’d looked closer, he’d have seen the glint of steel in her hand, hidden behind her back when she’d wrapped her arms around herself and dropped in one of Elain’s towering lavender plants.

The tea party had been lovely, and she’d made friends. Everyone had been nice, which made lying to Eris all the more terrible because she knew he had words with his lords about their daughters and wives.

The problem had been her.

“How are you settling into palace life?”

Arina, headed to the woods to see of the rumors of an apple grove were real, spun on her heel. Grinning, she said, “It’s you.”

The old woman smiled back, pushing the silvery blue of her hood from her lined face. Glittering black eyes roamed her body.

“You certainly look better than when I last saw you.”

Walking to her, Arina took her hands which were strangely smooth and youthful. “Yes. Everything has turned out so much differently than I hoped.”

The woman smiled, squeezing Arina’s hands in return. Blood red nails pricked at her skin, just sharp enough for Arina to draw back.

“Things worked out exactly as I expected,” she said, offering a smile of gleaming, sharp teeth. “Do you remember what you promised me?”

Unease settled in Arina’s stomach. “A favor?”

“Just something small. Something that should be no problem at all for a girl who simply wants freedom. You do still want that, don’t you?”

Biting her lip, Arina imagined that small life she’d once begged for. A house on the coast, working as a seamstress seemed silly in the wake of what Eris was offering her. Affection had been so out of her reach for so long that now that she had it, Arina wanted to grasp it with everything she had.

“Of course,” she replied.

The woman reached into her robes, revealing a sharp, silver dagger with a glimmering blue hilt. Arina reared back, stumbling to a leaf strewn ground beneath her. “What…”

“This isn’t for you, girl. It’s for your husband. All you need to do is cut his throat and you’re free.”

Heart pounding, Arina couldn’t think of a single word that would explain how she was feeling. Kill Eris? The first person who had ever been truly kind to her? The man she suspected was in love with her? “I can’t…”

“You can, and you will,” the woman replied, crouching in front of Arina with the dagger in hand. Pushing it into Arina’s fingers, the woman added, “You will kill him, or I will come to collect the magic I gave you. And pretty girl?” Gripping Arina’s chin, she forced Arina to look at her. The shape of her face contorted for a moment, turning to something grotesque and monstrous—something Arina suspected was supposed to be youthful and beautiful—before returning to the friendly older woman. “I promise if I have to come back for you, you will not like what you find.”

And then it was over. The woman was gone and the singing birds returned, leaving only the dagger as a reminder she’d ever existed at all. Arina had gone back for it once Eris left her, hiding it in a sock drawer when she couldn’t figure out what else to do with it. How would she ever explain any of this to Eris?

She wanted to. For the rest of the week, Arina had taken to hiding in the library until he was already asleep, and slipped out every morning before he woke. In between, she imagined waking him and telling Eris everything.

And Arina knew exactly what would happen. He’d realize all his feelings were the result of a spell, cast her out, and Arina would be subjected to the magical whims of a sorceress anyway. No, she told herself. She could figure this out all on her own. Eris had gifted her an entire library—surely she wasn’t the first person who’d run into this kind of dilemma.

There had been no time limit set. Only a promise she had to kill him. That could take months. Years, if Arina was clever. And by then, well…who knew what might happen? It was the only thing that convinced her to put on the layers and layers of silvery white tulle and walk toward the grand hall where the ceremony was taking place.

How quickly things had changed—a month ago, Arina simply would have fled. Now she stepped through those gilded doors, looking only at Eris. That was simply practical—hundreds of people were looking at her. If she let herself think about it, Arina would turn anyway and leave him jilted and embarrassed.

Eris’s eyes glittered, hands folded in front of him. He looked regal in that golden crown and his buttoned up white jacket. A golden chain held a blood red cape against his shoulders while his boots caught the streaming sunlight pouring through multi-colored, stained glass windows above. More than anything, Eris looked relieved.

Like he hadn’t truly thought he’d get this far. Arina, too. Heart hammering, she wondered if it was cruel to keep this going. That didn’t stop her from reaching for his steady, warm hand.

“Hi,” he whispered when he saw her, his face otherwise expressionless. “You’re here.”

“I’m here,” she agreed solemnly, kneeling before the priestess about to swear them husband and wife. I am your destruction, and I think that I might love you, too.

Arina had no idea what anyone said for that next hour. Eris never took his eyes off her, and neither did she. Some part of her—the better part—writhed beneath her skin, demanding she tell him the truth. Maybe it was cowardly to let him slide that golden band against her finger, admiring the ruby red stone laid against sparkling white diamonds.

The world came rushing back in a cacophony of cheering and applause right as Eris reached for her face. A matching gold band laid on his own hand, marking him just as surely as she was.

“Hello, wife,” he murmured just before he kissed her.

Arina reached for his shoulders, kissing him back like no one else could see them. This moment was fleeting—he was going to imprison her when he learned the truth. Or he’d die, and Arina would spend the rest of her life mourning him.

Pulling away, Arina gasped a little, knees wobbling from the grief threatening to overwhelm her. Eris grasped her arms, brow furrowing. “Are you well?”

“Yes, I…” I’m supposed to kill you, but I’m selfish. “I’m just happy.”

His face lit up like a starry sky. Gods, he was so easy to please. How he’d ever cultivated a reputation as an unfeeling, cruel man, Arina had no idea. She could have told him she loved him and brought Eris entirely to his knees.

Eris did all the work. He walked her out of the hall, and he made all the small talk on the throne when people came up to offer gifts and their congratulations. Eris made the toast, smile on his handsome face, and Eris led Arina through every dance, every meal, every little ritual she was too numb to care about.

If Eris noticed, he didn’t say a word. He merely let her go on with that plastered grin and her clumsy steps until they were alone again in his bedroom. He closed the door gently while Arina’s eyes went straight to the dresser. She couldn’t stop thinking about the weapon—couldn’t stop her mind from replaying what she was supposed to do. She didn’t want to think about it, and yet couldn’t stop herself. Arina could imagine walking across the room, grabbing the dagger and hiding it in her skirts.

She’d let him kiss her, guard lowered, and then cut his throat. And while he bled out all over the floor, Eris would know he’d been fooled. That whatever he felt for her had never been reciprocated and she—

“Arina?” Eris murmured, pulling her back against his chest. “What are you thinking about?”

“You,” she replied breathlessly, banishing the image of his bloodstained jacket from her mind.

“What about me?” Eris’s voice was teasing, his lips grazing her neck. She knew what he wanted her to say, what he wanted for the evening. Arina wanted to give it to him, too. One good memory before everything fell apart.

Turning in his arms, Arina asked, “Tell me something true, Eris. Something no one else knows.”

His expression softened. Reaching for her face, Eris said, “I love you. But I think you knew that.”

She did.

ERIS:

“Something is wrong with my wife.”

Elain looked up from the window she was sitting in, book in her lap. “Already? It’s been a day, Eris.”

He couldn’t explain it. Arina smiled, she danced, she ate. She kissed him, and let him unbutton her out of her dress, and then with impossibly sad eyes, asked if he’d just hold her. There had been no sex at all, which hadn’t been the problem. It was the soft weeping that had occurred when she thought he’d fallen asleep. Arina had cried for hours, tucked against his chest which made Eris think he wasn’t the problem this time.

It was something else she was too afraid to tell him, which only made things worse. He’d considered confronting her about it—had wrangled with the decision long after Arina herself went silent, falling into an uneasy sleep. He wanted to solve her problem, whatever it was, and didn’t know where to even start.

“I don’t think I’m the problem. I—” Eris paused, glancing toward the open door of the lounge Elain was currently tucked away in. Crossing the room, he closed the door before coming back to Elain. “She has been strange ever since that tea party. Did one of the ladies say something to her?”

Biting her bottom lip, Elain shook her head. “No. They had nothing but kind things to say about her, and were surprised to learn you’d reprimanded their fathers and husbands. They seem to like her, Eris.”

“Her father, maybe?” Eris questioned, pacing the floor until Elain rose to her feet.

“Have you tried asking her, Eris?” Elain, ever practical, asked. He glanced at her sharply, and to her credit, Elain didn’t back down. A lot of his own advisors would have withered beneath that stare. “Have you considered going through her things?”

Eris raised his brows. “What do you mean?”

Elain shrugged. “Have you gone through the things she brought with her? Maybe she has a diary, in lieu of just asking, since you seem to be allergic to honest communication.”

“I like that plan,” Eris said, ignoring Elain’s barb. It wasn’t him who was bad at communication given he’d told her he was in love with her—which she surely knew—and Arina waiting for him to fall asleep so she could cry.

Didn’t he know the lengths he would go for her? Had he not proven himself?

“With me,” Eris added when Elain tried to return to her book. “This was your plan.”

“If you try and pin the blame on me, I’ll tell Lucien,” Elain warned, as if that threat scared him in any meaningful way. Elain was far too nosy, and far too willing to enable all Eris’s worst impulses not to join him. She was a princess—she could have told him no.

Arina was in the library and Eris didn’t expect to see her anytime before midnight. She’d been holed up there for a week, pouring through books and sneaking into bed when she thought he was asleep. He’d thought it was merely pre-wedding jitters.

Now he was beginning to think it was something sinister. Perhaps someone had threatened her, had made her feel unsafe. Perhaps her father had managed to get a note and was making demands, having just realized a daughter for a queen benefitted him quite greatly?

“She’s taking an interest in your life, at least,” Elain said, holding up a book with gilded edges. “A Treatise On Avalon Rules from the Middle to Gilded Ages.”

“A great book if she wants nine hundred pages of sons killing fathers,” Eris said dryly. “Maybe she’s thinking of our future offspring.”

Eris certainly was.

“Maybe,” Elain murmured, pulling open one of the drawers on the far end of the wall. Eris rifled through a trunk at the end of the bed. There was another book on breaking magical curses—something Elain could have used six months earlier—and another of fairy tales that a child might appreciate, interspersed among heavy quilts she’d dragged from other places in the palace and sewing supplies he’d never seen.

“Eris,” Elain murmured, drawing his attention behind him. Striding toward the drawer, hidden among her under things and a pretty strand of pearls he’d gifted her, lay a glinting, silver dagger. He reached for it while Elain studied the hilt curiously.

“I know those gems,” she said after a moment. “It seems like it should be sapphire, but it’s not—dragon's diamonds.”

“From Ellesmere?” he asked, thinking of where dragon’s diamonds were typically mined.

“They’re traded all over the continent. She could have purchased it anywhere.”

Eris shook his head. “Not purchased.” Arina had nothing when she’d arrived, which certainly included bejeweled weapons. Her father, though… her father, who Eris had humiliated and was currently undermining, might see his daughter alone on the throne as preferable. He’d certainly have far more control with Eris out of the way.

“Eris—”

“Get out,” he ordered, striding past Elain for the doors of his bedchamber. He hated that Elain was right—that he should have asked. Now all he had were his suspicions, and his fears that the entire time he’d been falling in love with her, she’d been conspiring with the father who hurt her to kill him.

“Bring me my wife!” he ordered one of the guards, watching Elain roll her eyes with a heavy sigh. She left, though, and so, too, did the guards, returning with Arina in tow looking far too nervous for his liking.

Eris locked the door behind them, well aware the dagger was still sitting on the dresser top. And of course her eyes found it—he’d seen her looking that way, hadn’t he?

“Eris,” she whispered.

“Plotting to kill me?” he asked, his heart beating so fast it was nearly all he could hear. Arina was so, so taut, fingers bunched to fists at her sides. “No point in denying it. What were you offered, then?”

He saw her eyes flutter shut as her body began to tremble. Eris was desperate for her to explain this away—to offer any explanation that was plausible enough he could forgive her. Arina said nothing, bloodless lips pressed together as she waited for his judgment.

“Tell me what he offered you,” Eris growled, reaching for her shoulders. Eris spun her around, hating her almost as much as he loved her. She was supposed to be more than just his wife—Arina was supposed to be his friend. The betrayal hit him hard, filled him with cold fury he could only barely contain.

“Say something.”

Arina only shook her head back and forth, limp when he shook her.

“Fine,” he breathed, hoping so desperately to call her bluff. “You don’t want to tell me? Then you can go to the dungeons—”

“Eris!” she pleaded, stumbling when he curled his fingers around her upper arm and yanked her toward the door.

“Tell me what your father offered you!” he roared, releasing her before he did something he’d regret. Something he couldn’t take back.

“My father?” Arina asked in such a small, sad voice. Striding to the knife, Eris brought it back to her and held it in front of her face.

“I know you didn’t purchase this. He gave it to you, right? Told you if you killed me—”

“Eris—”

“That you’d have the freedom you want? That you could rule unimpeded, could run away and—”

“Eris, please—”

“Finally be free of us all? He’ll take your place? Because that baby living in Elain is my current heir, and if you’re hoping to be Queen without me, you’ll have to kill her, too,” Eris snarled, watching Arina fall to her knees, crying without restraint. Eris was so close. Maybe she didn’t love him, but she certainly loved Elain. Had she not thought her plan through at all? Hadn’t considered that Eris had been planning the Vansera succession long before he ever knew she existed? The minute Elain fell pregnant, Eris adjusted his will to make the child his undisputed heir, should he die without his own.

It was a secret not even Elain and Lucien knew. Lucien likely would have killed him, but he knew Elain and Lucien would rule fairly and keep the squabbling and power struggling to a minimum.

Crouching in front of his wife, Eris gripped her chin and made her look at him. “Are you going to kill Elain, too?”

“No,” she gasped, her shoulders rising and falling rapidly. “Eris, you don’t understand—”

“I think I understand quite well,” he lied, pushing beneath her skin to get the reaction he wanted. “You want power—”

“I don’t,” she said, hanging her head. “I never wanted any of this. I just…”

Arina took a gulp of air, wiping her eyes on her shoulder while Eris waited. “You just what?”

“If I tell you, you’ll hate me,” she whispered, pulling her face gently from his grasp.

“Hate you? Arina, you’re trying to kill me. I think it’s you who hate me.”

She shook her head back and forth, pretty blonde curls falling around her face. “I don’t hate you. That’s the problem—”

“So, what? You’re having second thoughts?” he snarled, rising to his feet angrily.

“If I tell you…” she tried again, dissolving into the saddest sobs he’d ever heard. Eris only had one last card to play. One final, desperate attempt before he hauled her to her feet and put her in the dungeons for real.

“If you don’t tell me, I’m going to be forced to interrogate you,” Eris said, standing in front of her. Arina inclined her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I won’t be able to help you down there. Do you understand what I’m saying to you? Tell me,” he pleaded, dropping to his knees again. “Please, Arina. Tell me.”

“I’m in love with you,” she whispered, eyes bright with tears. Swallowing, she added, “And you’re not—”

“How could you fucking say that—”

“It’s a spell, Eris,” she said, throwing her hands up in her lap miserably. “You don’t love me, you just think you do—”

“Of course it’s a goddamn spell!” he roared, hauling them both back to their feet. “What else is love, if not magic, Arina?”

She was shaking her head back and forth, like he was somehow misunderstanding. He wasn’t—there was no magic, no spell, no curse that could imitate love. Lust, certainly—but that wasn’t what this was and Eris knew it in his bones. He wanted her past reason, beyond logic, and not because she was beautiful, not because she made his heart race. He didn’t want to possess her, didn’t want to own her.

And though Eris was certain it was going to break his heart to admit, he added, “You’re my friend, Arina.”

He didn’t give her a chance to protest that, either. Eris kissed her roughly, with the pent up need roaring through his blood. He expected her to shove him away or maybe slam that dagger into his chest. The gods knew that he deserved it. Eris had never pretended to live a moral, upstanding life. Even Elain had to turn away at times when confronted with some of the things he’d done.

He’d killed his own father.

Maybe it was what he deserved, to find the same fate at the hands of the only woman he’d ever loved.

Fisting her hands in his jacket, Arina pulled him closer. She was kissing him, too, with the same fervor he felt. Fuck it, he decided, walking her backwards until she hit the edge of the bed. Maybe he just didn’t care. Not then—and when he was finished, probably not then, either. There was no need to be nice about it, though.

“Does this feel like a spell to you?” he growled, grinding his cock against her hip bone.

“You’re so stupid,” she replied, yanking at the buttons on his tunic. “You don’t understand!”

“Then make me understand, Arina,” he replied, ripping the seams of her dress so it fell in tatters around her feet. There was nothing but her, stuck in her stupid underthings that he hated.

She kissed him, fingers yanking at his hair and for the first time, he thought they were being honest with each other. Not in the way he’d hoped, of course, but Eris didn’t quite care so long as she told him everything.

And the mess she was in was fixable.

They were all tongue and teeth, falling to the mattress until he was naked, too. “Please,” he begged her, running his hands over her body. “Tell me.”

Arina arched when those same fingers found her breasts, tugging at her nipples just a shade too hard to be considered sensual. She gasped, rolling her pretty cunt against his thigh so he could feel the slickness gathering.

Dragging her nails down his back, Arina whispered, “Tell me you love me again.”

Positioning himself just between her legs, Eris let himself say it. “I love you.”

She arched as he thrust into her. It wasn’t nice—nothing about this act was—and it didn’t matter. Arina wound her arms around his neck, pulling him close enough he could feel her thudding heart against his chest.

“Are you telling me goodbye?” she asked him.

“I’m begging you,” he groaned, half mindless from the tight, wet heat of her body. “Begging you to just tell me so I can end this.”

Arina moaned, lips against his neck and Eris was pretty certain this was as close to heaven as he’d ever get. For a minute, Eris didn’t care. Not when he dragged himself halfway out of her cunt, reveling in the way she gripped him. Certainly not when she arched up to meet him again, tightening with pleasure even when he was just a little too brutal, even for his own liking.

Was he punishing her or himself? Letting himself know what it was like to have her, even as he ought to condemn her to death. Could he send her to the dungeons leaking his come?

“No,” he breathed, kissing her with ragged desperation. “I’ll keep you safe.”

She clenched around him again, rising to meet him again and again. Arina was shaking, clawing at his back. Even when Eris wrapped his hand around her throat, squeezing until her eyes popped open, Arina continued on.

“Come for me,” he ordered.

And fuck, but no one woman had ever detonated around him the way she did. Eris could feel it—the way her cunt tightened, sucking him deeper until he was half mad with desire. Release gathered along his spine, made worse with each new pulse of her heartbeat pounding frantically against the skin of his aching cock.

Normally he’d try and drag it out. But Eris needed answers before he fucked her again. Shoving himself in as deep as he could get, Eris let himself go with a breathless groan. “Tell. Me.”

“It was a witch,” she panted, tightening her legs around his waist to keep him inside her. Eris was dizzy, was mad and desperate and so, so in love he didn’t think he could have sent her away even if she’d admitted to plotting and organizing the entire thing herself.

He’d merely tie her to his bed until she thought of only him.

“A witch?” he asked, dizzy and spent. Still, he released his grip on her throat but didn’t pull himself from her body, even when her legs fell limp to the bed.

“You weren’t supposed to want me,” she said, turning her head away from him. How could she possibly think otherwise?

“Tell me,” he asked, withdrawing so he could flop to the bed beside her. Arina wiggled beneath the blankets while Eris, stupid as ever, pulled her against his body. “Tell me everything.”

And she did. Arina wove a tale that both infuriated him as much as it broke his heart. Eris listened silently, unprepared for what he was hearing.

“You made a deal for an unspecified favor?” he asked with disbelief. “She could have demanded anything from you.”

“I was desperate,” Arina replied, twisting to look up at him. “I thought if I just got in front of you…”

“I’d let you go,” he finished, putting it all together. Why she’d run from him that night, why she’d been so determined not to marry him. “This whole time–?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No…just…last week. She appeared and called in her end of the deal.”

Eris laughed, then, surprising his terrified wife still trembling in his arms. “That stupid cunt,” he said, a grin on his face.

“Eris?”

“Do you trust me?” he asked, twisting in bed so quickly they knocked foreheads.

“Yes,” she replied without hesitation.

Eris kissed her. “Good. I have a plan.”

#eris vanserra #were in it now

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violetvelourr · 6 months

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Ok so I’m finally branching the story as promised 😁 and the first chapter (of two) is up!

Those who saw my post here (it’s pinned at the top if you want to check it out) might recall that my second fanfic, “Blame It All on Me”, has two versions of part 2.

The first version is essentially the proper “part 2” and is being posted gradually (at 4 chapters so far but there will be at least 16 chapters).

While this here is the second version of part 2, or the “alternative ending”, consisting only of two chapters (and they will be listed as chapters 19 and 20, although I will post them as a separate ‘book’ to avoid confusion).

Some context of the scene behind the artwork:

«… the visitor entered the room, while Arina struggled a bit to turn around, and the next moment she froze, meeting the gaze of a pair of grey eyes, framed with coal-black eyelashes, sharply contrasting against the light, as if sun-faded, hair.»

P.s. since I came up with the title for the fanfic a while ago, it now turns out that the alternative ending (and part 1) of the fanfic don’t even explain the title at all - it will only be mentioned in part 2, which is in process now 🤦🏼‍♀️ I’m not sure whether I should come up with a new title for this fanfic - at that time I just didn’t expect the ‘title reference’ moment to be pushed back this far (like it was chapter 5 or so and now not only it’s in part 2, but even there the first reference is around chapter 8🙈)

#fanfic #OC: Arina #Kakashi fanfic #fanfction #kakashi x oc #AU Kakashi

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ivanshatov · 3 years

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happy birthday freak

wc: 1.5k

i feel like i need to start writing again and i also feel more comfortable posting my work here but? i thought this way a good leeway into that or whatever anyways all my ocs are freaks and i will shove them at you!

You make your own birthday cake.

At least, that’s the rule in this household. When he tried to do it last year, though, he burned his hand in the oven, and his parents reprimanded him for not wearing his gloves and being foolish enough to touch the tin. We’ve told you, Cvetko, hundreds of times— Don’t touch the stove. It’s your own fault.

His parents are in Belgrade, now, and most of his siblings are off in various bits of Europe. It’s April for certain. Buds are forming on the trees, the grass is getting somewhat greener, yet the air is still bitingly thick with cold and wind howls around the house each night. And now, seemingly forever stunted in growth since he turned 8, Cvetko now comes on his 10th birthday with some indifference.

Arina is downstairs when he toddles down in his oversized nightshirt, a hand-me-down from Aleksandar. “Happy birthday,” she says blankly as he peeks over the countertop at her. “Mama will be mad at you if you use the oven this time. Don’t try. Anya got you some candy, it’s on the table.”

Cvetko swiveled to the small bag that waited for him. “Where is Anya?” he asked, his voice small.

Arina gave a shrug. “I need to go.” She ruffled his hair, hurrying to the door but not before she boomed her sibling’s name. “Luka, watch your brother.” She shouted, the door slamming behind her. An affirmative groan resounded from upstairs.

For a moment, Cvetko waited at the bottom of the stairs, wringing his hands and wondering if Luka’s footsteps would foretell his coming. Nothing could be heard, however, and Cvetko toddled back into the dining room.

Anya’s thoughtful gift of sweets and chocolate was wrapped nicely in a bag, done up with a ribbon and a note.

Happy birthday, flower.

Followed by,

In Zagreb. I had to get away. No worry, I will bring you a gift!

Anya

It’s a nice gesture. He appreciates it. He pops a candy into his mouth and thinks.

Stacked up on the counter are Luka’s application papers. It’s for Vienna, London, New York— Neuroscience programs. He’s a bright kid, bound to do amazing things, just like his brothers before him. Cvetko sifts through them, careful not to upset the precise order, for his workbook. Or rather, Arseny’s workbook, but he erased all the answers and markings left on the questions and gave it to Cvetko with a smile. There are still some faint markings and eraser shreds peppered through the equations and word problems, but he uses it nonetheless, letting his eyes slip out of focus in order to block out the correct answers still present in faint pencil.

He likes this. He sits at the counter, his legs dangling high above the tiled floors, flipping through the old workbook for something he’s yet to tackle. His parents noticed this, too, and were quick to hand him crossword puzzles, sudoku, complicated packets of math, and already began to enroll him in a series of Bees and programs for the young mathematician. Some of it still eludes him. He’s never brought home a prize, either, and always clams up on stage or when being judged. The answer is on the tip of his tongue, though he’ll never say it. It never comes out. Of course, Papa’s never quite happy about that. “When Luka was your age, he got first place.” Or, “We ought to practice much more, hm?”

And think of the devil, a pair of heavy footsteps plodded down the old stairs with a yawn. Luka appeared in the door, his eyes darkened with exhaustion and a Gameboy dangling off his fingers. “What are you up to?” he asks without so much as a greeting, shuffling up behind Cvetko. “Math?” Cvetko can’t quite tell if the rank is simply morning breath or the penentrating smell of alcohol, but he scrunches up his face and forces an unbothered look.

“Math,” he affirms, crossing his legs and nodding.

Luka replies with a scoff and snatches the book out of his hands, replacing it with the old Gameboy. “It’s your birthday. April 1st. How old are you now, ten?” He sounded unsure of even that as he peeked up from the math problems at Cvetko, who was fiddling with the old device. “Don’t do this bullshit, go have fun. Go run around in the yard, or something. Go.”

“That’s a bad word,” Cvetko commented, and Luka slapped down the workbook.

“How old is this?” he snapped, ignoring his little brother’s comments and skimming to the front pages of the book. “Arseny gave you this? No wonder. Here, I will go into town and get you a real workbook. Consider it a birthday gift.”  Cvetko nodded, and with a start, Luka got to his feet. “Mind putting on the stove for me? I need tea,” Luka said, stretching his arms over his head with a yawn.

Cvetko set down the little device and toddled over to the stove. His head barely reached above the knobs, yet he ran his hands across them and thought patiently, recalling the pattern of lighting the stove. The second knob on the left, that’s it. It has to be. Luka’s back is turned, standing over the garbage as he tears out the yellowing pages of the old workbook. He’s so busy ripping them from the spine, dozens at a time, that he doesn’t realize what’s happening until his brother cries out in pain.

“Oh, fuck me!” The ribbed workbook is dropped as Luka dashes to his brother’s side, hurriedly shutting off the stove and ripping a whimpering Cvetko’s hand from the iron kettle. He sits his brother on his lap, observing his reddening palm with a sigh. “Fucking hell, Cvetko.”

His bottom lip in a pout, Cvetko whimpered as Luka gently traced his fingers over his injured hand, and yelped when Luka dragged him to the sink and stuck his little brother’s hand in the stream of cold water. “There,” Luka said, crouching down and wiping away the tears on Cvetko’s face with his sleeve. “You’re all better.”

Luka rose, stepping over the workbook. “You really ought to not play with fire anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” Cvetko murmured, nursing his trembling left hand.

“Don’t apologize to me, you’re the one getting injured.”

They’re silent for a moment before Cvetko appeared besides his brother, three heads shorter and not even reaching his shoulder. “Are you going away?” he asked.

“What are you talking about?” Luka incredulously looked back to his little brother. It’s only now he first realizes how similar they look. Cvetko has the same round face, those same freckles. Sure, Bojan and Arseny almost have the exact same appearance as Luka, the only difference in their ages and hair, yet Luka can’t help seeing himself in that tiny brother of his. Cvetko, expressionless, gestured to the behemoth of papers on the table.

A smile tickled Luka’s mouth and he forced a bitter laugh. “I’m not going far,” he said, pausing as he placed a firm hand on Cvetko’s shoulder. “I’m going to Amsterdam. I’ll see Alex there.”

Cvetko looked away with another pout.

“Oh, don’t be like that. You have Arina and Anya, and Dmitrije’s family lives an hour away. And Mama and Papa are right here.”

Without saying much of anything else, Cvetko wrapped his stick-thin brother in a squeeze. Luka, startled for a moment, ruffled his brother’s hair and grinned. “We’re all right here, kiddo.”

***

It had been a hard two months, and he had almost forgotten about his own birthday. After all, his whole life, it’d been a nonoccurrence. No celebration, no wonder, only a gift of some sweets or novels.

That’s why it came as a surprise to him, when sifting through a stack of official papers and getting lost in the jargon and formalities, Cvetko was surprised to stumble upon Agim, standing like a spectre in his office, holding a small box in his hand.

Cvetko, startled, bumped into the doorway and gathered his papers with a laugh. “Blin! You scared the crap out of me!”

Agim grinned and gestured to the coffee table. “I tried to get Komnena and Laszlo to come, but...”

Cvetko shrugged. “It’s fine, I appreciate the thought anyway. They’re busy.”

They sat opposite, Cvetko undoing the string on the rice paper box that unraveled into a tiny pastry. Agim fished a lighter from his pocket, bringing it to a light and holding it out. In the lens of his glasses, the flame lapped back and forth. “Hope this is an alright alternative to a candle.”

The heat of the small flame drew Cvetko closer, and he found himself mesmerized by the dollop of orange light.

Don’t touch the stove.

A faint smile crossed Cvetko’s face, and he tilted his head, the light pockmarking the darkness that cloaked the whole room.

“Perfectly alright,” he replied, sampling the pastry with his finger. “Thank you for the gift.”

His long and prominent face illuminated by the flame, Agim grinned. “Happy birthday.”

#liaisons imagery includes light flowers and paper and 2/3 of those are flammable #anyways #cvetko rajkovic #agim krasniqi #my writes #my ocs #liaisons #sighs ok #*looks at the wall #anyways funfact during the plot plot luka is a twitch streamer lol

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yamamuragaku · 5 years

Photo

Excerpt: Novel IDOLiSH7 Ainana Academy

Novel: Sasaki Teiko

Character Draft/Illustrator: Tanemura Arina

Original Work: Bandai Namco Online

In the darkness, a phantom flower bloomed.

It was a digital art flower projected on a jet black wall as if ink was painted on it. In a space where there was nothing, a speck of emerald green light suddenly flashed. Shining young buds quickly spread, leaves flourished, and at the tips, seven flower buds--fleeting like the moonlight--grew.

As the flower buds grew, each took on a different color and soft flower petals gently unraveled.

Here was the recording studio of a web-distributed program.

The ones filming were the members of the budding idol group, IDOLiSH7.

It was the recording of the final episode of the mini drama "Ainana Academy".

"Ainana Academy" was a drama in which Yamato, who planned to control the school, joined with Sougo and Iori to confront Nagi, Riku, and Tamaki.

Bright lights were lit simultaneously. The camera crew was on standby.

At the cue to start shooting, against a background of faintly lit digital art flowers, Nanase Riku, dressed as a cheerleader in a white chouran with the sleeves tied with a red ribbon, raised his voice.

"I hate the darkness! I hate your darkness! That's why with the power of love, I will burn away all your hatred! I will not forgive you--"

A gentle and honest voice resounded throughout the studio.

At that moment, a warm and pleasant atmosphere spread all through the studio.

No fragments of hatred could be felt from the way Riku crisply shouted, nor his direct gaze. Instead, Riku was making puppy dog eyes.

Confronting Riku was Ousaka Sougo, who was wearing a cape like a vampire, and Nikaidou Yamato, playing a doctor in a white coat, whose face relaxed.

"...Sorry, Riku. I don't really feel hated by you. It feels like I'm actually being forgiven,"

Told Yamato, who was fiddling with the stethoscope hanging around his neck.

"Um."

"If you say it with more contempt, onii-san might feel it."

"Uh...um."

Yotsuba Tamaki, who was waiting behind Riku, snorted.

Riku stared at Tamaki who just made fun of him. Tamaki, a current high school student, looked really good wearing a uniform casually and stylishly.

He looked back at Riku and as if a switch was flicked, Tamaki began roaring with laughter.

Standing to the side, Izumi Iori made a face like he swallowed a bug. Iori was properly wearing a uniform buttoned all the way to the top, with glasses as accessories. Iori pushed up the bridge of the glasses with his fingertips, and sighed heavily.

However, the director could not be heard saying "cut." In other words, filming continued.

"I-I will not forgive you!!"

Quickly turning towards Yamato and Sougo, Riku said his lines once more, for good measure.

Right in the middle between Riku and Yamato, Izumi Mitsuki who was tied up and sitting with an apron on, looked over Riku with a nervous expression. Next to him was Rokuya Nagi, holding a glow stick and wearing a happi. Nagi crouched down, untied Mitsuki, and stood up.

"OH! Riku. Hatred doesn't suit us. Even if your partner is the leader of darkness. When our weapon is ready, you'll feel not hatred, but love. So, Riku--"

Nagi informed with a smile. Hair of gold and eyes of blue. Anyone would be fascinated by the beauty of Nagi, who came from a small country in Northern Europe.

"Let us sing."

"What?! A song?!"

Riku batted his big eyes.

"Yes. Because we are IDOLiSH7. Come on, music!!"

Nagi snapped his fingers.

Music began playing.

While they were acting out the mini drama, in the background, a paradise of digital art flowers started playing, each bud blooming.

"...I didn't hear anything. About this."

Riku opened his mouth flabbergastingly. It seemed that not only Riku but the other members besides Nagi didn't know to sing there.

Mitsuki was the first one to suddenly run off. He raised his hand in front of the camera,

"Does each person have a mic?"

And signaled to the staff. The members each picked up the mics prepared by the staff.

They automatically settled into their positions.

The intro ended, and Riku's singing voice resonated in the mic. His overwhelming singing ability and rich singing voice enveloped the entire studio.

At first there was a bit of confusion, but once Riku began to sing, everything was clear.

A sparkling singing voice that would drive away the darkness burst out, and Nagi said, "Good job," and gave a thumbs up with a smile, and took his turn.

While Sougo waved his jet black cloak, he made a careful step.

Mitsuki's petite body jumped according to the music, exciting the staff.

Tamaki's dynamic dancing drew everyone's gaze.

Yamato looked at Tamaki's dancing, and showed a daring smile.

The appearance of Yamato, who was twirling the stethoscope while casually singing, immediately conveyed that, "Come to think of it, this is a scene from a mini drama."

He made a gesture like he was acting in a play, and while singing and dancing, Yamato’s presence overpowered Riku and Nagi. Iori immediately reacted to Yamato's acting, and he forced his way in front of Yamato to support Riku. Yamato was instantly impressed with the ad-lib and smiled faintly.

The director's "cut" still could not be heard.

The studio was dyed in IDOLiSH7's color.

IDOLiSH7 was asked to appear on a web-distributed program two months ago.

The first member who heard about this was Iori, who heard it from Takanashi Tsumugi--a manager belonging to the talent agency, Takanashi Production.

Although Iori was an idol, he had confidence in his analytical ability, and assisted Tsumugi a lot. However, that Iori took on the role of Tsumugi's brain was a secret to everyone. There was fear as a current high school student, whether other members might show resistance to the youngest among IDOLiSH7 leading the group.

"A web-distributed program...?"

"Yes."

As idols, IDOLiSH7 was a bud that just sprouted. With hidden sparkling and shining energy, they are absolutely "real idols", but they're still rather unknown to the general public.

As for the reason they haven't made their break yet, it was obvious to Iori. They had too little exposure.

If you listened to their songs and saw their dancing, you would become a fan. That was the only ability and charm they held. However, there were almost no TV programs that invited the rookie idols IDOLiSH7.

During this time, an offer arrived at the agency for a variety program that would be distributed online, rather than on TV.

"That's right. I think it may be good to try this,"

Iori said, checking the terms of the request. However, Tsumugi made a surprised face.

"Eh? Really? But before, didn't you say you had a concern about doing online programs?"

While Iori discussed IDOLiSH7's future development with Tsumugi, she recalled what he formerly expressed.

"Yes. I said that. We are an idol group that attracted attention from online videos. The assumption that we are familiar with online distribution is correct. But..."

Because of an accident, IDOLiSH7 had to sing outdoors during a storm, and a video of that went viral and drew them a lot of attention.

Idols of the Internet age. The video circulated among people who liked and favorited it on social media. Spread without corporate promotion, the radiance of a new and fresh group called IDOLiSH7. That was one of our weapons, Iori thought.

But at the same time, he understood that this precarious position was a double-edged sword.

"On the other hand, if we rely too much on online distribution, there's a possibility we may develop an unwanted reputation. If I may say this freely--I don't want us to become 'cheap idols.'"

"Cheap...idols...?"

"Yes. It's a really subtle balance...but with one misstep, cheap idols will fail. Now is an era where anyone can post online. Amateurs can get popular by posting videos online, and they collaborate with companies to make videos. In that context, we must think of what it means to be professional idols. It isn't just about increasing exposure."

Tsumugi listened with a despondent face. Although Iori wasn't mad about Tsumugi's management, he sometimes caused her to make this kind of face. Her chest hurt a little.

"But...I think it's fine!! IDOLiSH7's singing and dancing are not cheap. You're the real deal. You're true idols. I know for a fact. I believe when people see you, they'll definitely understand!"

Tsumugi looked discouraged, but as soon as she bit her lip and took a deep breath, and her big eyes moistened, she turned to Iori and declared this.

Iori, taken aback, gulped. Because she said this with a puppy dog face without calculation--manager is scary.

"Of course,"

He replied immediately. Because Iori himself "knew" that IDOLiSH7 was the real deal.

The idol group that ran before them--TRIGGER--wasn't strong in variety.

Therefore, it was a good strategy to target the areas in which TRIGGER was weak.

Also--.

"This time, the web-distributed program seems to have a tight budget at this stage, so we need to tackle the project sharply. As for the film editor, a freelancer is better than a well-known one, but..."

He looked over the proposal, and checked the names of the staff along with the plan.

Before, Iori saw one of the names of the people involved with the filming in an interview online.

The name came up in a question about "interesting people lately" in the globally active, up-and-coming digital art group, Y-Classic.

He was a student who attracted attention in the art world for the stylish video he created as a hobby, which spread by word of mouth and became famous.

"I watched the video he made. In addition to his skill, his excellent way of showing the theme, the beautiful imagery, the quick tempo, and how it made you laugh, was understandably popular. If we find that kind of fresh talent and attract him to our program--isn't it okay to entrust ourselves to him?

Tsumugi stared in wonder and muttered, "I didn't know. There was someone like that in the staff."

"Our greatest weapon is Nanase-san's singing. If they hear our singing and see our dancing, the viewers will definitely understand that we are the real deal. Finally, if we make a corner showing our singing and dancing, along with the main point of the proposal, the mini drama ‘Ainana Academy’, I think the staff will surely challenge it and make something interesting. This job seems worthwhile."

"Understood. Then, I'll take accept this job!!"

Tsumugi responded energetically.

Five days later, the script for the drama arrived at the agency. A job for all the members of IDOLiSH7.

Within the group, MEZZO" already formed as a two-person unit, and Tamaki and Sougo had their CD debut, so their workload would further increase. Their responsibilities would grow, but even so, the two in MEZZO" were overjoyed.

In the first place, Tamaki and Sougo didn't have the slightest intention of only doing MEZZO". Rather, for the sake of debuting with IDOLiSH7 as seven people, they had been working hard to cut through as the advance guard, and clear a path.

It wasn't lip service; they were seriously acting with those intentions. Therefore, when the manager wanted to focus on IDOLiSH7's management and business, MEZZO" had a lot of work where it was just them alone.

At a small and weak agency, idols were being produced. They couldn't buy a car for exclusive use yet, so the two people in MEZZO" moved around by train. For the time being, they hid their faces with sunglasses and hats, and moved with their idol switch off. Even so, people who notice will notice, but they haven't yet experienced someone overbearingly talking to them and causing a racket.

However, Tamaki was disappointed in hearing "there's still quite a ways."

Tamaki stepped into the highly exposed entertainment world because he wanted to find his missing little sister. He had not revealed this reason to others yet, but he thought he always wanted to be more famous. He wanted to appear on TV a lot more. It would be good if his sister saw his existence.

Tamaki had his head in the clouds while he was riding the train with Sougo. They were sitting next to each other on an uncrowded seat. To the public, MEZZO" got along very well, but the truth was entirely different.

"Tamaki-kun, did you properly read the script?"

Sougo took the script out of his bag, and began reading it. It was also Sougo who put effort into remembering their travel times. He was serious. He was the type of person who thought what you ought to do today, you should accomplish today. It didn’t mean he was not serious. He always kept his eyes on the ball, which was why he was now only thinking of their next job.

"I'll do it later,"

He brusquely responded. Sougo slightly lowered the corners of his eyes.

It was unknown how many times it had been repeated.

The two have had similar back-and-forths many times.

Sougo looks very kind, and spoke with a gentle tone. With an atmosphere like warm spring sunshine, Sougo was basically always gentle and kind.

However--sometimes Sougo gave instructive guidance to only Tamaki. Tamaki was displeased with this.

"Since it's a job for the seven of us, we must do our best. We discussed this when the job came in earlier. The recording is the day after tomorrow. If we filmed separately, it would look unnatural, so we're doing it on a day when everyone can gather together."

It always felt like this. Sougo just gave Tamaki a lecture.

"Okay."

"To match our schedules, the staff hurriedly booked a studio. Everyone suddenly had to memorize their lines, and they were even individually practicing in the dorm."

"Soo-chan, did Mikkii tell you to be so loud?"

It was a mini drama about a school. Sougo was cast as a hot-blooded teacher.

Sougo was worried about how to act hot-blooded, so he consulted Mitsuki about various things. According to Mitsuki's advice, Sougo tried waking up the sleeping Yamato with a loud voice and took him along running, loudly interrupted Nagi who was proclaiming his love for ‘Magical Girl★Magical Kokona’, confirmed the schedule, and earnestly asked, "For the next job I want to raise my level of enthusiasm, so please watch ‘Magi★Kona’ with me. I will use it as a reference." Even if Nagi wasn't asked, he was always devoted to spreading the word of "Kokona's splendor". When Nagi realized, he had Sougo sitting in seiza in front of him while reciting "Kokona Love", while Sougo nodded with a serious expression vowing to "study a lot".

"What was that, practice?"

Sougo nodded with a troubled face at being seriously asked this..

"It was practice."

"It was noisy."

"...."

"Last night, Soo-chan was so loud, I lost motivation."

Sougo, deeply serious about "creating a hot-blooded role", approached Mitsuki for a consultation. At Mitsuki's advice, he gently laughed, said "I'll try," and straightened his posture. Afterwards was a rare scene of Sougo loudly waking up Yamato.

Sougo boldly challenged Yamato who easily brushes those things aside, and yelled from the pit of his stomach. Sougo did not usually raise his voice like this.

Yamato dodged with a, "Sou, are you drunk? Don't run around, sleep next to onii-san," and it ended in failure.

Mitsuki laughed at Sougo's failure and said, "Don't mind." Sougo replied "yes" with a serious look on his face. Riku, Nagi, and even Iori surrounded Sougo and let out a laugh at the gap between the endeavoring Sougo and the everyday Sougo,

At everyone's smiling faces, Sougo said, "Being hot-blooded is tough," and showed a bashful smile.

However, Tamaki could not laugh.

The inside of his chest felt prickly and unpleasant and hurt a bit.

When Sougo was around people other than Tamaki, he always gently laughed like a flower swaying in the spring wind. He did not get mad at anything Mitsuki said, and acted earnestly in accordance with Mitsuki's suggestions.

Sougo did not consult Tamaki, among other things. He did not rely on Tamaki.

Even though he knew he was unreliable, Tamaki still did not like it.

"Is that so. Sorry. So that I don't bother you, Tamaki-kun, I'll quietly practice in my room starting tonight,"

Sougo said with a troubled face.

He was bewildered by the apology. However, that wasn't it, thought Tamaki. Tamaki didn't want Sougo to apologize to him. But he also didn't intend to complain.

Even though he didn't say it was a nuisance--.

Did he mean to sound that way?

Sougo was good at extracting unpleasant words from Tamaki.

Tamaki got depressed at telling him to throw away his blunt words.

Sougo also got depressed being told that.

The two in MEZZO" were not good friends in the slightest.

Once again, the inside of Tamaki's chest prickled.

Sougo hid away the beaming smile he showed everyone from Tamaki, and the shutter in his heart made a loud sound and fell with a clatter. He pushed aside the feeling of "Today's smiles are out of stock. The store is closing now."

Sougo began reading the script fervently. Tamaki still felt like he wanted to say something, but he was irritated and without saying anything, he firmly pulled down the brim of his hat and closed his eyes.

So then, the recording of the web-distributed program started.

In the studio, each person was reading the script which was prior distributed, and Yamato who was wearing a costume, asked Riku,

"As I thought, isn't this look tight for onii-san? Wearing a high school uniform after all this time at the age 22 feels too much like a punishment."

One corner of the program was a mini drama--"Ainana Academy".

Somehow, Yamato was forced to wear a high school uniform. He wore a navy blazer, red necktie, and white button-up shirt.

"The size seems right. Yamato-san, it's a perfect fit. Where is it tight?"

Riku answered Yamato with a straight face, and looked over Yamato's school uniform from the front to the back.

Yamato didn't know what expression to make at being thoroughly examined, and looked to the sky.

Riku spontaneously burst out. Even if he explained his reason to Riku, he would not understand. Yamato pushed his glasses up and muttered.

"Mitsu, Sou, and even Nagi get to play teachers, so why am I playing a student..."

"Ah, I also thought something was strange. I wonder why I'm playing the youngest character. It feels weird that Iori and Tamaki are playing my senpais."

Yamato tilted his neck at Riku who was wearing the same school uniform.

"Oh. Rikkun is my kouhai?"

Tamaki, who was wearing a school uniform, asked Riku with the sense that he "just found out."

"Yeah. That's right."

"Oh."

"Yotsuba-san, incidentally I'm playing your classmate,"

Iori confirmed with Tamaki.

"Really? Okay."

Iori was also in a school uniform. He wore an armband that said "Student President" on his sleeve, and blackish green glasses. They were the type of frames that would look uncool depending on the person who wore them, but they fit Iori's fresh and neat look very well.

"Tamaki-kun.... You read the script properly?"

Sougo heard the conversation, and asked Tamaki worriedly.

Sougo wore a cool blue three-piece suit. The necktie was tied in a small knot, and he wore thin frame glasses. With silvery-green glasses adorning his serious-looking features, Sougo looked sharper than usual.

"Yeah."

"Not just read it, did you properly memorize the lines?"

Iori asked Tamaki to confirm again.

Sougo stared worriedly at the silent Tamaki. Tamaki, who was sensitive to people's emotions like an animal, noticed that Sougo was feeling anxious, and his chest prickled.

"Yeah."

Again, he made an uneasy face. Tamaki just made Sougo worry about him.

Mitsuki nonchalantly cut through the silent, awkward atmosphere formed between the two in MEZZO".

"Sougo's just like a teacher. Although he isn't hot-blooded. So math teacher-ish! If you were a calm and kind teacher, you'd be fine without having to practice for the role!"

Sougo made a troubled face at these embarrassing words.

"Mikkii is better than Soo-chan as a teacher"

Tamaki said softly.

"Really? Well, I'm also a teacher though. Of home economics"

Mitsuki's role as a teacher did not seem bad at all. He was wearing a necktie, but instead of a jacket, he wore a traditional knit sweater.

"...So why am I a student? Even if I wear a school uniform, I don't know whether I look like a student, so onii-san is really worried"

Yamato grumbled again. He was not seriously convinced.

"OH! Now that you say that, I am also really, really worried whether I look like a teacher! My elegance naturally flows out. My unparalleled beauty can't be thought of as of this world. I'm troubled about how to look like an ordinary teacher. There's no reality where such a beautiful teacher is in this school, so will any viewers complain?"

Nagi put his index finger against his cheek, and with a worried face, let out a sigh.

Was his wide-collared white shirt silk?

The sheen was clearly different from everyone else's shirts. There was no tie, and there was the impression that the suit was not ready-made, but an exquisite brand.

"Nagi's confidence is always impressive,"

Mitsuki had a distant look.

Nagi was pondering about something.

"It's fine because sometimes there are really beautiful and cool teachers,"

Riku said with sparkling eyes.

"It's fine if Nagi doesn't speak,"

Mitsuki continued.

"Really? But Mitsuki, I have dialogue too."

"Isn't it fine if you don't add OH or HEY to your lines, and avoid ad-libs and winks?"

Mitsuki sheepishly replied as if he had misgivings.

"But my role is a special English lecturer. 'OH' is in my lines."

"...OH......"

Mitsuki let out an "OH" from the bottom of his heart. Yamato laughed at the same time. Iori crossed his arms and furrowed his brows. Tamaki's expression did not change at all, while Sougo made a bewildered face. Riku grinned.

A girl ran towards them from the crowd of staff who were staring at them from a distance.

"...Um, excuse me. Can I take your picture? I want to take a group photo of you behind the scenes, and upload it to my blog for publicity."

"Yeah. ...It's fine, right? Manager?"

Mitsuki looked around, and asked for confirmation from Tsumugi who was talking to the staff.

After getting Tsumugi's approval, the costumed members of IDOLiSH7 turned toward the camera and smiled for the group photo.

On the other side of the camera, "kyaaa" could be heard from the women in the staff.

Nagi winked at the women.

Filming began. It was a scene where Riku, a transfer student who was late on his first day of school, was running to school with bread in his mouth.

Riku was running.

He was running--with a loaf of bread in his mouth.

Naturally a loaf of bread was not something you could just hold in your mouth, so he supported it with his hands while darting his eyes about. Looking like a small animal frantically putting food that's too big in its mouth, he put on a serious expression and filled up with motivation to run.

Everyone watching became rowdy. Even Tamaki, who was in a bad mood, burst into laughter.

"...Why is he running with a loaf of bread in his mouth? Is it this kind of scene?"

Sougo said incredulously.

"Sorry, it was my fault. It said in the script that it was a scene where he runs with bread in his mouth, so I bought some freshly baked bread,"

Mitsuki said.

Since it was freshly baked bread, it was not sliced.

"I thought about cutting it later, but I forgot.... It unexpectedly became an interesting scene..."

It won't block Riku's throat, right...?

In a sense different from being worried over his acting, all the members watched over Riku anxiously.

As Riku ran with bread in his mouth, he bumped into Iori at the street corner.

It was a clichéd opening scene.

Iori who was waiting across the street corner according to the script, looked considerably distressed at Riku's appearance, who was running at full speed with "a loaf of bread in his mouth."

Forgetting to act, Iori lost his bearings, made a surprised face, and came to a halt, and then Riku crashed into him.

Even though Iori tried to stop Riku who was protecting the bread, from falling, he bounced back, got his foot stepped on, and he pulled Riku towards his chest to support him.

The bread was sandwiched between them, and his face became mixed with astonishment and worry. Iori said,

"Isn't it dangerous? Why were you running with bread in your mouth without looking ahead? You--"

They were lines from the script.

"S-so...sorry."

Iori apologized to Riku, but they were positioned much closer to each other than it stated in the script, and although it wasn't a scene where they hugged, it looked like they were hugging.

In a panic, they suddenly let go of their hands. The chain of events reflected the odd innocence of a fastidious youth in the throes of puberty, and all the members watching the filming let out an "oh."

"Cut!! That was a good scene. Yup. You two were also good. It was different from the script, but your ad-lib was definitely effective. Let's go there. One take."

The director, in a good mood, clapped his hands.

#idolish7 #novel #translation #excerpt

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idolish7fanpage · 5 years

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Ogami Banri Appreciation Post

Ogami Banri is the man that represents “10,000″ in IDOLiSH7 and is one of the hardest workers in Takanashi Productions! This is an appreciation post dedicated especially for him since it’s the 8th of September today - his birthday!

(Sources have also been included wherever possible so you can check it out yourself too!)

• Banri is the biggest IDOLiSH7 stan... in their first live, he was the person that held the most glow sticks and cheered the most! He’s waving his glow sticks so high that you can’t even see them anymore... they’re off-screen??? (What a mood though) Tsumugi and Otoharu, you can do better than him... she’s their manager and he scouted those boys You can even see Banri’s support for them from afar!

BANRI’S GLOW STICKS ARE LITERALLY THE BRIGHTEST THING EVER THOUGH??? Excuse my poor circling, I did it on mobile with my shaky hands lmao Anyways, in a Vibrato trailer, you can hear Banri playing “NATSU Shiyou Ze!” in the background! Moreover, his favourite song is an IDOLiSH7 song, Joker Flag! Banri is thoroughly enjoying himself and that makes me incredibly happy

• Banri’s been employed by TakaPro for (more than) 5 years?? That is a lot of dedication and commitment, whereas he also quite willingly does overtime and even became upset when he was asked to take a break. Wow I can’t relate, I love my breaks

Banri has sworn his life to Otoharu and has said several times that he’ll work for the president for the rest of his life (x) #No Retirement For Banri and has called Otoharu an ikemen before. God, TakaPro is such a wholesome place.

Anyways, Banri is an extremely hard worker as his duties include taking care of Kinako, fanclub registration, preparing lunchboxes, accompanying members of IDOLiSH7 when they finish work late at night (x), he used to pick Tsumugi up from school when it was raining (x) and also does many other things. He also manages the official Twitter page! Overall, a very hard worker! I cannot relate in the slightest but then again—

I, too, would like to sleep in a hammock (x). [I believe ’here’ is a typo and it’s actually meant to be ‘where’...? Random guess though]

• Banri’s househusband stats are over 9000! He can cook, clean and he can do hair too! He’s braided his own hair before, and he’s done a few hairstyles for Tsumugi before.

• Everyone loves Ogami Banri - IDOLiSH7, Takanashi Productions, TRIGGER, Okazaki Productions and Re:vale. There’s a huge joint effort to celebrate Banri’s birthday (x). Moreover, Anesagi’s commented that if they were to be wed to someone then it would be a man like Banri (but if they were to fall in love, then they would want it to be a prince... like Nagi) (x). Everyone loves Banri. Everyone. They even started a debate over it (x).

• Banri looks so good?? This lovely man is a combination of pretty/cute and handsome/hot (whichever words you prefer to use LOL). Moreover, he should be #HairGoals for any person with long hair. Look at how smooth and silky it is... must be spending all of his paycheck to maintain it, you know what though, I’ll bet he’s the type that does absolutely nothing to his hair and it still looks as gorgeous as it does

If you somehow don’t like this man’s appearance, I will convince you otherwise. I mean, even Otoharu says “Banri, you’re handsome as always” and Tsumugi goes “You’re beautiful Banri” (x). Experts at (flirting) praising: the Takanashi family

Like all wonderful men, Banri is actually quite dense! -starts sobbing uncontrollably- During her middle school years, it’s been hinted that Tsumugi had a slight crush on Banri (x) while she herself states it was simply admiration (Tsumugi giving out super mixed signals??) and gave him Valentine’s chocolates, but he thought it was out of courtesy (x). He does like chocolate though (Tanemura Arina’s “Re:member” manga Ch1, pictured below) and he also likes making and eating minced chicken lunchboxes (x)!

SPOILERS FOR MAIN STORY PARTS 2 AND 3 (from the game): Not recommended to be read unless you’ve already seen it, or you don’t mind spoilers

Banri is a former idol and he was a part of the original Re:vale! His singing voice has been praised by IDOLiSH7 when he joins them in karaoke and has sang the song ‘Mikansei na Bokura’!

Banri is absolutely merciless - he talks smack about Yuki whenever he gets a chance and will call Yuki “Disgusting” with absolutely no hesitation (x) but Yuki’s so pretty though. Moreover, Yuki literally got into so much trouble that Banri’s bloody desensitized to troublemakers. He thought of smashing a fake burglar’s face in so hard with a fire extinguisher that they’d never be able to go out in public again (x). A true savage.

He says “I’m trained for situations like this” but is that really the case...? Aren’t you just resorting straight to violence...? I mean, the burglar would’ve started the crime first but Banri’s escalating it to a whole different level lololol

Banri was actually quite good at nicknames surprised at Momo’s appearance in the audience, so he was constantly using nicknames to refer to Momo (x)!

Banri Mindset 101: Why use an actual name when you can just give him a nickname based off your impression of him (well he didn’t know Momo’s name at that time so chronology is doing its work)

According to Yuki, Banri is a natural player(?)! Actually, wait, no Yuki, he really isn’t... He’s had several girlfriends but they have dumped him as a result of Yuki, believing he had another woman on the side (x). I can just imagine it rolling out... “You have another woman?!”, “Wait no—”. I would actually want to see that, sounds like an afternoon soap opera LOL Banri did call Tsumugi cute though, but then Otoharu quickly intercepted LOL

Banri is actually very selfless, like to the point where he would severely injure himself?? What a nice boy -sobs incoherently- In case you don’t recall, the light that fell was originally aimed at Yuki. However, Banri noticed the falling light and shoved Yuki out of the way and then became injured in Yuki’s place. The damage has caused a permanent scar on Banri (x), although the position of it has never been revealed. I really do love the relationship between Yuki and Banri though. Even though Yuki’s always getting into trouble and Banri finds it low key, high key annoying, they still care about each other

Banri’s extremely wholesome though?? He states that he likes the current Re:vale more (Momo and Yuki) which is probably indirectly saying he prefers them over the previous Re:vale (himself and Yuki), and is perfectly content with remaining as their fan, rather than interacting with one another like how it was in the past! Banri’s probably also prefers the current Re:vale because he realised he was interested more in the managerial aspect of being an idol, rather than being an idol itself.

Not really too much a spoiler since it’s on the wiki as well but Banri’s the manager of MEZZO”!

I can literally hear this gif?? I can just hear these two beautiful men talking about their stay to Okinawa and how Tamaki’s soon going to devour that fruit sundae

To conclude this appreciation post, have a solemn Banri!

To be honest though, I couldn’t fit everything that was wonderful about Banri and plus I was starting to lag from the amount of content here. The characters are honestly just so good, but if people actually liked this, I could totally create a ‘Ogami Banri Appreciation Post pt.2′.

#idolish7 #oogami banri #character appreciation posts #anime #manga #re:member #re:vale #yuki #momo

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parabellum-rpg-archive · 5 years

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N A M E: Elisabetta Biondi A G E: Twenty-Seven O C C U P A T I O N: Journalist, Con Artist L O Y A L T Y: Costello Crime Family

SOME RISE BY SIN, AND SOME BY VIRTUE FALL.

Young and naive Arina Belka Orlova stared out at the world and imagined that it was just like the pictures she saw on the television screen. Every night she snuck down to watch adults dance, sing, converse and live their lives out on a box no larger than herself. Those films and shows were her lessons; its actors her tutors. Arina did not know it then but all that she saw would influence all that she would become. When asked about her parents she always pointed to the television and said that was them. Mom and dad were traveling actors in her mind who performed on countless stages and sometimes in the very films she loved to watch. Her parents were never the ones that abandoned her at the orphanage. She saw a live performance once when the orphanage was invited out to some gala held in its honor. A fundraiser for the poor, defenseless orphans who had nothing but the clothes on their back and shoes on their feet. Arina was told by those in charge to play the part of defenseless and hopeless orphan who was grateful for all that these charitable individuals were doing for them. She played her part well until the show began. Arina could not help the wonder and awe found in her eyes spreading to her lips.

Captivated by the performance, she did not pay attention to what was going on around her. She did not notice when the lights turned back on and then off to signify the end nor that entire orphanage left her there alone. Arina was always left behind and forgotten so why would now be any different. Alone in the theatre, she made her way backstage and stowed away in an actor’s trunk and traveled the world as a member of the theatre company. That is how she met a member of the Volkov family after all. They saw her perform and invited her a chance to play roles of her own creation rather than the ones created by others long before she was born. The only thing she had to do was say yes. She was so taken in by the prospect of creating her own world rather than merely inhabiting the ones of another for a short period of time that she said yes and never looked back. A world of her own where she could create a past that was better than the one that she had. A present far greater than the one she was living and a future so bright that everyone around her would exclaim one day, “the world was her stage.” Why be Arina when you could become whomever you wished? All the best lives were never the ones given but rather the ones created. So that is exactly what she did; she created many lives (lies).

Or maybe she was Arina Belka Orlova, daughter of a drunk and abusive father that painted her with bruises and then called her a work of art. For twelve years she lived under his rule being told to be quiet, to never go into his study and to always entertain his colleagues and friends when they came over for their weekly meetings. Taught how to smile when she wanted to cry, how to charm when she wanted to fight and how to stay poised when all she wanted to do was run. Her father ran with a dark crowd that passed bills back and forth when crates were loaded into the trunks of their vehicles. Arina never learned exactly what was in those crates but she knew it was not washing from Alexei Cleaners. She watched as these men tried to take over the world and watched what happened when arrogant men do not take care of the facades that they create. It was winter when her home went up in flames. Arina slept in the laundry room when her father had one too many drinks and invited his friends to spend the night. Cold sheets and a hard floor were always better than a belt or hand on her back. That night she felt the warmth of the flames before she saw them. Orange, yellow and red hues so vibrant that if they were not deadly she would have reached out her hand to have some of those colors cover the blue, green and purple that decorated her skin

Arina made it out through the back door with nothing and watched as the life that she knew burnt to the ground. It was in that fire that she first met a member of the Volkov family. The woman dressed too fine for the part of the world that Arina came from saw Arina standing there while ash and snow fell all around. She watched as Arina put on a convincing performance as a grief stricken and scared child when the authorities came to her. The woman also saw how as soon as they were not focused on Arina she became like stone, unreadable, guarded and cold. That night, Arina Belka Orlova died in the flames and in her place one of many new identities were born.

Arina Orlova became Deirdre Kennedy then Sarah Smith after that it was Magnolia Breeland and followed by all of those were many more mystically planned identities that served their purpose until they were no longer needed. Everyone, even a fake identity, had value until they become expendable. It wasn’t just for the sake of leaving her old life behind that her name changed and she embodied someone else. Arina, actually it was now Elisabetta, had work that needed to be done. The woman who pulled her from her life didn’t do it out of the goodness of her heart, no, she did it for her own personal gain. To mold the girl into something people would pay money for, a thief. Not just any run of the mill thief but one who stole information and knowledge and sold to the highest bidder. Those who said money cannot buy them everything were clearly misinformed. Enough money bought power and power was only built on well purchased information. Whether that was secrets, knowledge or lies, Lisabetta didn’t care as long as whomever was fronting the bill paid her handsomely.

Lisabetta Biondi is her longest running cover, if she were to be sentimental she’d say that this was her new identity, at least the one she kept all the time and was her front for all her dark web dealings. Being a journalist has not only allowed Lisabetta to have access to a world so many covet it has given her the freedom to interchange her identities with ease and never worry about anyone sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong. When she controlled the narrative of not just her life but the lives of others the world was her oyster and she planned on shelling out every pearl that came her way. The night of the Sinclair and Costello wedding had been exceptionally prosperous for her. She had been paid to attend not only as Lisabetta to cover the wedding but also by a third party to find out what deals were going to be made that night. She never met those who bought what she sold directly nor would anyone ever know who she was thanks to the woman and her associates who was strict on anonymity and never let anything slip through the cracks, especially their sources, like her. Somehow the stars aligned and Lisabetta or was it Belle? She can’t recall exactly which role she had been playing the moment it happened but she got her hands on something both families would kill for. They already had. Now with the information she can sell it off to the highest bidder or keep the information to herself until she needs a get out of death free card. In a city ruled by two opposing mobs even she is smart enough to not press her luck but that doesn’t mean she won’t dance her way through the storm that was coming. Except where is the fun in completely staying on the sidelines and just watching when there is a chance to participate in the havoc?

She is team Costello for the sake of being on a side in this city. Just like the wind, her allegiance can change if the price is right.

*written by Isa

CONNECTIONS:

— Relationship Status: Single

FC: Alicia Vikander

The role of ELISABETTA BIONDI is currently TAKEN.

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